Device for sanitizing the air-conditioning system of vehicles using radiant catalytic ionization

ABSTRACT

A device for sanitizing the air-conditioning system of vehicles using radiant catalytic ionization is provided. The device is mounted in a casing that includes a UVX lamp surrounded by a metal alloy that converts air/oxygen therein into a purifying plasma comprising hydroxyl radicals and hydrogen peroxide.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/372,637, filed on Jul. 16, 2014 and titled DEVICE FOR SANITIZING THE AIR-CONDITIONING SYSTEM OF VEHICLES USING RADIANT CATALYTIC IONIZATION, which application is a U.S. National Phase application, submitted under 35 U.S.C. § 371, of Patent Cooperation Treaty application Serial No. PCT/BR2013/000020, filed Jan. 17, 2013 and titled DEVICE FOR SANITIZING THE AIR-CONDITIONING SYSTEM OF VEHICLES USING RADIANT CATALYTIC IONIZATION, which application claims priority to Brazil patent application Serial No. BR1020120011220, filed Jan. 17, 2012, the disclosures of each of which are incorporated herein by this reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to equipment for sanitizing the air conditioning system of vehicles by means of radiant catalytic ionization, in particular, to sanitizing equipment that uses the radiant catalytic ionization technology, promoting a reaction between UVX light and a noble metal alloy generating a purifying plasma, efficient in sanitizing not only the air conditioning, but also the interior environment of vehicles.

The exemplary sanitizing equipment has as its field of application in the automotive sector, notably in air conditioning and the interior environment of transportation vehicles in general.

BACKGROUND

The existing solutions for sanitizing interiors and air conditioning systems of automotive vehicles are based on technologies that use various resources, among these the application of chemical products and manual mechanical intervention, vaporization/nebulization system for chemical products, oxi-sanitizing of interiors, which consists of applying ozone, among others.

Among the conventional practices, some drawbacks stand out that deserve mention, for example;

1) Application of chemical products and manual mechanical intervention:

-   This method needs technically skilled labor, which increases the     application cost; -   Mechanical intervention does not reach all possible contaminated     spots due to its limitation, besides taking more time for its     execution; -   Chemical products (those that do not comply with regulatory     standards) applied can cause general discomfort to users, due to     possible human allergic sensitivity.

2) Vaporization/nebulization system for chemical products:

A deficiency of this system is its limitation in solving sanitizing and odor problems, compromising its efficiency and effectiveness;

-   It compromises the final quality of the services rendered.

3) Oxi-sanitizing of interiors:

A deficiency of this technique is the risk that the application of ozone in interior environments can in a general way harm the health of users;

-   In improperly measured amounts, ozone concentration in interior     environments can cause respiratory discomforts, nausea, mucous     membrane oxidation, among other things.

In the face of this situation and the deficiencies inherent in current sanitizing practices, we were motivated to develop equipment capable of accomplishing in the internal environment of a vehicle total removal of odors without the use of chemical agents, in compliance with the focus of this application.

The prior art includes some patent documents that deal with the matter in question, like Brazilian Patent No. PI9306305-9—“PROCESS AND SYSTEM FOR AIR DISINFECTION IN AIR CONDITIONING DUCTS,” which claims a process to disinfect air that consists of aerosol type vaporization of a deodorant of quaternary ammonia compound, more specifically benzyl ammonium chloride, nonpoisonous and substantially nonvolatile, mixed in water which by means of microvaporizers goes through the air flow in the duct.

The above solution, although appealing in order to disinfect air in air conditioning ducts, has a limitation factor in the matter of aerosol vaporization, which will certainly not go through the whole pipe, making its application ineffective, and also it utilizes ammonia as a disinfectant, which, although not poisonous, may not be tolerated by some organisms, resulting in adverse allergic reactions.

SUMMARY

Cognizant of the prior state, its gaps and limitations, the inventor, after studies and research, developed the equipment for sanitizing the air conditioning system of vehicles by means of radiant catalytic ionization in question, which in general is sanitizing equipment that uses radiant catalytic ionization technology, promoting a reaction between UVX light and a noble metal alloy generating a purifying plasma composed mainly of hydrogen peroxide, efficient in sanitizing the air conditioning system and interior of vehicles.

In short, invention embodiments have as advantages:

-   Efficiency and effectiveness in sanitizing the interior and the air     conditioning system of vehicles in general; -   Embodiments remove odors of all possible origins; -   Embodiments do not need skilled labor for its application; -   Embodiments can be directly applied in the environment in the     presence of people, without needing isolation of the site; -   Equipment incorporating embodiments are easy to handle and operate; -   The active principle of embodiments, hydrogen peroxide, is an     oxidant present in nature, so it does not require any manufactured     chemical products; -   Elements of various embodiments have odorless and neutral     characteristics; -   Embodiments do not use chemical products, thereby reducing the     incidence of possible side effects due to the use of unregulated     products, even applied in inadequate amounts; -   Embodiments not need mechanical intervention, because embodiments     use only air as the dissemination medium; -   Embodiments do not use ozone, which, though also using air as the     conducting medium, can cause health problems, in contrast to the     technology in various embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Below, the invention is explained with the help of the attached drawings, which are presented in an illustrative and not a limiting way:

FIG. 1—Schematic view showing main components of an embodiment of equipment for sanitizing the air conditioning system of transportation vehicles by means of radiant catalytic ionization;

FIG. 2—Functional schematic representation of an embodiment of the equipment for sanitizing the air conditioning system of vehicles by means of radiant catalytic ionization;

FIG. 3—Perspective view of an embodiment of the equipment for sanitizing the air conditioning system of vehicles by means of radiant catalytic ionization;

FIG. 4—Inverted perspective view of an embodiment of the equipment for sanitizing the air conditioning system of vehicles by means of radiant catalytic ionization.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The equipment for sanitizing the air conditioning system of vehicles by means of radiant catalytic ionization, relates to equipment (1) mounted in a framework, (2) that is able to hold a UVX light bulb (3) surrounded by a beehive structure impregnated with a metal alloy (4) that transforms air/oxygen (A) into a purifying plasma (P) composed of hydroxyl radicals and hydrogen peroxide.

More particularly, the sanitizing equipment (1) comprises a framework (2) with symmetrical and opposing circular cavities where there is intake (5) for surrounding air (A) drawn by fan (6) equipped with protective grating (7) and an outlet for passing purifying plasma (P) through an insufflation grating (8) for passage of air (A), properly speaking, through UVX light bulb (3) located in the intermediate internal part of the framework (2). In this way, UVX light bulb (3) is surrounded by a beehive structure impregnated or coated with a noble metal alloy (4) that is predominantly of titanium dioxide. In this context, upon switching on the connect-disconnect switch (9), the UVX light bulb (3) is lighted, thus processing the transformation of air into an air purifying plasma (P) composed of hydroxyl radicals and hydrogen peroxide. The purifying plasma (P) could be applied at two different ventilation speeds as controlled by speed button (10), as well as having an application time predetermined by a digital timer relay with hour, minutes and seconds activated by operational control (11). The equipment is supplemented by a number of applications counter (12) and cell (13) responsible for the operation of the UVX light bulb unit (3).

Therefore, this invention application shows novelty and inventive activity thanks to the radiant catalytic ionization technology, which, through a reaction between UVX light and a noble metal alloy, produces a purifying plasma composed mainly of hydrogen peroxide, which put to industrial application makes it deserving of the patent privilege. 

1. A system for sanitizing air, comprising: a framework having an intake for receiving surrounding air into the framework and an outlet for passing a purifying plasma out of the framework; a fan configured to move surrounding air into the intake, through the framework, and out of the outlet; an ultraviolet lamp; and an air-permeable catalyst structure positioned so as to at least partially surround the ultraviolet lamp, the catalyst structure including a noble metal alloy catalyst and being configured to allow passage of air through the catalyst structure, wherein the catalyst structure is configured to generate oxygen radicals, but not ozone, upon exposure to ultraviolet light emitted by the ultraviolet lamp, and wherein the generated oxygen radicals transform the surrounding air received into the intake into the purifying plasma.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the generated oxygen radicals include hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radicals.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the oxygen radicals consist essentially of hydrogen peroxide and hydroxy radicals.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the catalyst structure has a honeycomb or mesh structure.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the intake and outlet are disposed directly opposite one another.
 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the catalyst structure and ultraviolet lamp are located within the framework between the intake and the outlet in a direct path of passing air.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured such that during operation the composition of the purifying plasma, as formed within the framework at the catalyst structure where the generated oxygen radicals combine with passing air, is the same as the purifying plasma exiting the outlet.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the noble metal alloy catalyst primarily comprises titanium dioxide.
 9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a cell for controlling operation of the ultraviolet lamp.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the fan is configured to operate at a plurality of ventilation speeds.
 11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a digital timer in relay configured to allow the system to operate for a predetermined amount of time when activated.
 12. The system of claim 1, further comprising a number of operations counter that counts a number of operations the system has performed.
 13. A vehicle air sanitation system comprising a vehicle having an air conditioning system, the air conditioning system including the system for sanitizing air according to claim
 1. 14. A method of sanitizing a surrounding air environment, the method comprising: providing a system for sanitizing air as in claim 1; operating the ultraviolet lamp and the fan to thereby generate purifying plasma and pass the purifying plasma out of the outlet into the surrounding air environment.
 15. A system for sanitizing air, comprising: a framework having an intake for receiving surrounding air into the framework and an opposing outlet for passing a purifying plasma out of the framework; a fan configured to move surrounding air into the intake, through the framework, and out of the outlet; an ultraviolet lamp disposed between the intake and the outlet; and an air-permeable catalyst structure positioned so as to at least partially surround the ultraviolet lamp, the catalyst structure including a noble metal alloy catalyst and being configured to allow passage of air through the catalyst structure, wherein the catalyst structure is configured to generate oxygen radicals which include hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radicals, but not ozone, upon exposure to ultraviolet light emitted by the ultraviolet lamp, wherein the generated oxygen radicals transform the surrounding air received into the intake into the purifying plasma, and wherein the system is configured such that during operation the composition of the purifying plasma, as formed within the framework at the catalyst structure where the generated oxygen radicals combine with passing air, is the same as the purifying plasma exiting the outlet.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the noble metal alloy catalyst primarily comprises titanium dioxide.
 17. The system of claim 15, wherein the catalyst structure has a honeycomb or mesh structure.
 18. A vehicle air sanitation system comprising a vehicle having an air conditioning system, the air conditioning system including the system for sanitizing air according to claim
 15. 19. A method of sanitizing a surrounding air environment, the method comprising: providing a system for sanitizing air as in claim 15; operating the ultraviolet lamp and the fan to thereby generate purifying plasma and pass the purifying plasma out of the outlet into the surrounding air environment.
 20. A system for sanitizing air, comprising: a framework having an intake for receiving surrounding air into the framework and an opposing outlet for passing a purifying plasma out of the framework; a fan configured to move surrounding air into the intake, through the framework, and out of the outlet; an ultraviolet lamp disposed between the intake and the outlet; and an air-permeable catalyst structure positioned so as to at least partially surround the ultraviolet lamp and so as to be within a path of passing air, the catalyst structure including a noble metal alloy catalyst and being configured to allow passage of air through the catalyst structure, wherein the catalyst structure is configured to generate oxygen radicals which consist essentially of hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radicals, but not ozone, upon exposure to ultraviolet light emitted by the ultraviolet lamp, wherein the generated oxygen radicals transform the surrounding air received into the intake into the purifying plasma as the air passes the ultraviolet lamp and the catalyst structure, and wherein the system is configured such that during operation the composition of the purifying plasma, as formed within the framework at the catalyst structure where the generated oxygen radicals combine with passing air, is the same as the purifying plasma exiting the outlet, and therefore during operation the system contains no ozone within the framework or at the outlet. 